The White House on Thursday reiterated
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden's support for
LGBT-inclusive anti-discrimination laws.
The White House was responding to an
inquiry from the Washington
Blade on whether the president and vice president support
passage of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO).
HERO prohibits discrimination in
housing, employment and public accommodations based on several
characteristics including race, religion, sexual orientation and
gender identity.
Opponents of the law forced it onto
Tuesday's ballot.
“While the administration generally
does not take a formal position on specific proposals or initiatives,
the president and vice president have been strong supporters of state
and local efforts to protect Americans from being discriminated
against based on who they are and who they love,” White House
spokesman Jeff Tiller said.
“We’re confident that the citizens
of Houston will vote in favor of fairness and equality,” he added.
(Related: Hillary
Clinton backs Houston LGBT protections.)